When to Call 911 for Unsafe Drinking

If you ever find yourself with someone who has drunk so much alcohol they are not responding, what should you do? On today's Health Minute, emergency physician Dr. Troy Madsen explains how extreme drinking can be life-threatening.

Dr. Troy Madsen explains how extreme drinking can be life-threatening.">

Interview Transcript

Announcer: The Health Minute, produced by University of Utah Health.

Interviewer: Unsafe drinking. When to let them sleep and when should you call 911? Dr. Troy Madsen, what is your advice?

Dr. Madsen: My advice, first of all, would be to certainly never let yourself get to the point where you've had so much to drink that you're not responding and a person has to make this decision. But if you find yourself in this position with someone who's been drinking a lot, they're not responding to you, you're concerned about this . . . you know, the big concern here is they're breathing. Are they not breathing, or are they just so out of it that if they were to vomit, they would breathe that in their lungs? Try and wake the person up, talk to them, see if they respond to you. If they're not responding, they very well may need to go to the emergency department. In that case, sometimes we even have to place a tube in their throat to protect their airway if they were to vomit and to protect their lungs in this situation.

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